The Gibson’s learning programs encourage visual literacy and critical thinking about the world around us.
University Hill Elementary School students explore Burnaby Mountain for the project Where Does the Rain Go?
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University Hill Elementary School students paint with pigments they made themselves for the project Where Does the Rain Go?
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University Hill Elementary School students explore audio engineering for the project Where Does the Rain Go?
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Our informal exhibition tours, artist-led workshops, research, and community outreach opportunities, contribute directly to SFU’s academic mission by inviting learners of all ages—whether undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, elementary and secondary school classes, families, or special interest groups—to develop strategies of close looking, dialogue, and creative response.
University Students & Faculty
Class Visits
The Gibson is an educational resource for all postsecondary learners. Our exhibitions and the SFU Art Collection extend classroom learning through custom-designed interdisciplinary programs. Our approach to learning with visual art of all types, from historic to contemporary, is inquiry-based with a critical lens to build awareness of the interconnectivity of the past, present and future. All academic visits (whether individual or class) are free of charge and offered Monday through Friday by appointment. To learn more or to book a visit, please contact our Curator of Learning.
Join our Educators’ Newsletter to receive information about the Gibson’s forthcoming season of artistic programs. Newsletters are emailed quarterly.
Research Opportunities
Researchers interested in studying work from the SFU Art Collection or SFU Art Collection Library are invited to contact our Collections Manager directly.
The Gibson supports undergraduate and graduate internships and graduate research practicum projects across all our departments, including Curatorial, Collections, Learning, Preparation, Communications & Accessibility, and Visitor Experience. Internships and practicums, often with significant outreach and engagement components, are offered for course credit. They are coordinated directly with students’ academic departments and/or graduate administrators and are normally one or two semesters in length.
To enquire about an internship or graduate practicum opportunity, please email thegibson@sfu.ca
K–12 Learning
Class and Group Visits
Visiting the Gibson offers a fun and accessible way to engage with art, history, and culture through inquiry-based tours and hands-on explorations. These visits allow participants to make connections between exhibition content and their own lives.
Open to groups of all ages and abilities, including schools, camps, clubs, senior groups, daycares, homeschoolers, and more!
Groups with over 20 participants will be split into smaller groups and rotate between stations. One adult chaperone is required for every 10 children (no charge for teachers or chaperones).
To book a K–12 class visit, please contact our Curator of Learning & Community Engagement.
Kids & Families
At the Gibson Art Museum, programs for kids, teens, and their families are always free, and always artist-led. We harness the unique context of our university campus, with its extraordinary multi-disciplinary resources and collaborators, to create playful, inclusive and open-ended explorations with a variety of media, to encourage curiosity, hands-on learning and the building of creative confidence.
Kids & Family Programming
